LUCKNOW, April 26 -- With the arrest of four persons from Baghpat after a fierce encounter on Thursday, the UP Special Task Force (STF) claimed to have unearthed an inter-state gang of firearms smugglers, STF officials said on Friday. They said as many as nine country-made pistols and guns as well as a significant cache of ammunitions, including 28 cartridges of three different bores, meant to be supplied to criminal gangs of west UP districts were recovered from their possession.

A senior STF official said that the arrest was made from Bawli forest area under Baraut police station limits of Baghpat on Thursday evening when the gang members were waiting for their accomplices to hand over the firearms to further supply it to different cri...